Meet the Team
Chris Burke
Member Experiences Manager
Chris Burke joined the Mason Deerfield Chamber team as the Member Experiences Manager in May 2023. Utilizing her past experiences in marketing and promotions, as well as her connections within the community and Mason City Schools, she looks forward to supporting Chamber members and ensuring that they receive a rewarding and beneficial partnership with the Chamber.
Prior to joining MADE Chamber, Chris was a Paraprofessional for Mason City Schools for nine years, first as a substitute then as a full-time aide for the final six years. While her kids grew up, she was active in numerous local mom groups and in the schools volunteering, as well as spending many hours at the pool or softball field cheering on her kids in their respective sports. She also maintained her business as an Independent Consultant with The Pampered Chef. Prior to starting her family, Chris worked in marketing and sales promotions for a local food distribution company.
Chris was born and raised in Cincinnati, attending Cincinnati Public Schools and graduating high school from Walnut Hills High School. She received her Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Fashion Merchandising with a Marketing concentration from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. After graduation, she returned to Ohio and pursued a career in her field of studies.
Chris has enjoyed living in the Mason Deerfield area since 2000 with her late-husband, Doug, their two children, Meghan and Ian, and their dog and cat. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and visiting local hot spots.
Sidney Hayes
Development & Finance Manager
Sidney Hayes is passionate about adding value, working hard, and helping others. Sidney was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio where she attended Northwest Local Schools kindergarten through senior year. During her time at Northwest High School, she was actively involved with extra-curricular actives including playing volleyball, President of the Student Senate and Driving Angels Club, serving on the Superintendent’s advisory board, and one of the two student representatives selected for the Parent-Teacher-Student Association. She was also voted Miss Northwest during her senior year.
Sidney attended college at the University of Cincinnati where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a double minor in finance and management. During her time in college, she worked several jobs and internships, one of which was working with the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League, which allows children with special needs to play baseball. After college she went on to work in accounting for five years, with a majority of that experience taking place at Cintas in Mason. During those five years Sidney gained very valuable accounting, finance, leadership, and overall business knowledge.
Sidney, her husband Austin; their daughter, Brooklynn; and golden retriever, Red, moved to Mason from Trenton, Ohio in October 2021. They thoroughly enjoy getting to know all that Mason has to offer. In her free time Sidney likes to spend time outdoors and with family and friends.
Sloane Lewis
Community Development Intern
Sloane Lewis joined the Mason Deerfield Chamber team as a Community Development Intern in May 2023. Originally from Wintersville, Ohio, Lewis graduated from Indian Creek High School before attending Miami University. Lewis is currently in her junior year at Miami where she is studying Urban and Regional Planning, Sustainability, and Fashion Corporate Business. She is also a member of the Phi Mu sorority on campus.
Carrie Monley
Community Basket Manager
A Mason resident since 2001, Carrie Monley is eager to share her knowledge of the Mason Deerfield community with the area’s newest residents. Her goal as the Community Basket Representative is to act as a concierge and connect those new residents to the schools, government services and local businesses wishing to welcome them to their new home.
As a mom to two Mason Comets, Carrie has been an active volunteer in the Mason City Schools. From serving as a library and lunchroom aide, to planning classroom parties, coordinating art project orders and helping out at PTO events, Carrie has developed lasting relationships with other parents, teachers and students. She established even closer connections with the athletes and families in the Mason Youth Football Cheerleading program where she served as an assistant coach for four years and a head coach for two years.
Prior to choosing to be a stay-at-home mom, Carrie worked as a Marketing Manager and Advertising Manager in the Cincinnati area. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Journalism – Public Relations from Bowling Green State University and is a lifelong resident of Ohio. She enjoys living in Mason with her husband, Bob, and two children, Peyton and Paige, as well as having all her closest family nearby in Warren County.
Amanda Oltman
Marketing & Communications
Amanda has served in the role of Marketing & Communications for the Mason Deerfield Chamber since 2016. She loves the creative freedom she’s been allowed with the position, as well as getting to know the wonderful MADE Chamber members who make the City of Mason and Deerfield Township an incredible place to live, work, play, and thrive. Her work on the chamber's Community Profile & Relocation Guide, new member welcome packet, and complete redesign of the website has earned her national recognition through the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives' Communication Grand Awards.
Amanda relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio from Grand Rapids, Mich. in May 2016, where she had been the producer for Maranda Where You Live, a daily kids and family show on the ABC affiliate. She was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the show. Amanda joined the Maranda Where You Live team in January 2015 after spending five years as the associate producer for the lifestyle program, eightWest.
Prior to joining WOOD TV 8 and WOTV 4, Amanda attended Michigan State University and still bleeds green and white. Sorry, Buckeyes! While in East Lansing, Mich. she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, with an emphasis in sports broadcasting. She was a member of the MSU Marketing Association, MSU Telecasters, Corner Blitz, and Izzone. She won a college Emmy for her work with the MSU Telecasters and the program MSU & U.
Amanda was born in Los Angeles, Cali. and moved to Cincinnati when she was nine years old. At the age of 13 her family moved to Michigan where she attended high school, college and had been working since 2009. As the mom of a very active toddler she doesn’t have much spare time, but when she does she likes to travel, decorate her new home, attend sporting events, and spend time with her family, friends, husband, Kyle, son, William, and their cat, Edith.
Angie Smith
Director of Membership & Marketing
Angie Smith has dedicated her career to improving the lives of all those within our community. Her professional career has given her the ability to teach in the public school system, work with adults with disabilities, and help grow the local business community. With each of these career opportunities, she was able to develop operational plans and growth strategies to help each one thrive.
Prior to joining the Mason Deerfield Chamber, Angie served as the Executive Director for the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce. She had the opportunity to advocate for businesses and collaborate with organizations, schools, city and county officials throughout Warren County, helping the businesses succeed and the community prosper. During her time here, she was able to revitalize the Chamber by revamping the chamber’s website, membership benefits and networking opportunities. These changes created additional exposure and marketing opportunities for chamber members as well as increased social media presence of the chamber, chamber members and community events.
Angie spent most of her childhood in New Albany, MS, and moved to Jackson, TN when she was fifteen years old. She earned her Education Specialist Degree (Ed.S) in Education from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN. In 2008, her family relocated to Ohio. Angie enjoys living in Lebanon with her husband, Chris, and two sons, Carson & Barrett.
Sherry Taylor
President & CEO
Sherry Ratcliffe Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mason Deerfield Chamber, is a humble servant dedicated to amplifying communities and helping businesses and professionals grow. Sherry has held this position since April 2014.
Sherry’s organizational accomplishments include leading the efforts to redefine the organization’s mission, vision, values, priority outcomes, and strategic initiatives to better serve its members. Sherry also led the charge to rebrand the chamber to drive clarity and purpose for a newly defined constituency. Sherry also restructured the administrative functions to reinforce financial and employee stability while engaging and attracting members and community stakeholders to the efforts of the chamber, all during tumultuous times. Sherry has recently led the charge to form a connected non-profit to the Chamber to advance strategic community development initiatives and serve as a catalyst to preserve the region’s prosperous future through a shared vision and strong Chamber of Community.
Sherry’s personal accomplishments during her tenure at the Mason Deerfield Chamber include being one of six executives featured in Chamber Executive magazine’s cover story on effective leadership in 2016. Sherry was a recipient of Lead Magazine’s Women of Influence awards for the greater Cincinnati region in 2016. She was one of twenty-one nationwide chamber executives accepted in to the ACCE Fellowship for Education Attainment in 2017. She serves on the national Hometown Cities Council where she has been a guest speaker on helping smaller town communities stand up a government affairs platform for their communities. She has also represented the Mason Deerfield Chamber and the community it serves on several national stages for speaking engagements including:
- “Small Chambers, Big Impact: Leaders in Advocacy” Presenter for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Convention in Des, Moines, IA (2018)
- “It’s Not a Trivial Pursuit: Chamber Branding Ignite” Presenter for the Western Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Conference in Henderson, NV (2018)
- “Singled Out: Chamber Case Studies” Presenter for the Western Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Conference in Henderson, NV
- “Brand Blueprint” Presenter for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Convention in Nashville, TN (2017)
- “Importance of Regionalism” Panelist for Tulsa Regional Chamber Intercity Visit to Cincinnati (2016)
Lisa Thamann
Member Engagement Manager
Lisa joined the Mason Deerfield Chamber as the Membership Engagement Manager in June 2018. She is a Cincinnati (west-sider) native and learned early on to be a competitor and a survivor, being the second youngest of eight. Her family always had a wiffle ball game, baseball game, four square and many other fun outside activities while growing up.
After high school, Lisa was recruited to play fast-pitch softball as the catcher for Northern Kentucky University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration and an associate degree in Law Enforcement. Soon after graduating from NKU, Lisa married her husband Ben. They resided in Deer Park, Ohio where they started a family. They moved to Mason, Ohio in 2003 with their three boys: Benny, Tyler and Michael. While working various jobs, mostly in the evening to stay at home with the boys, Lisa volunteered for the school’s fundraisers and church events, football and baseball boosters and was a youth soccer coach.
Lisa has many years of customer relations experience and continues to improve her leadership skills. She has a passion to serve and help others in the Mason-Deerfield community and currently volunteers with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Recently she joined the Mason Mighty Walkers and achieved her first Flying Pig half-marathon medal. She set her sights on walking a full marathon in 2019. She loves to spend her time with family and friends, reading motivational and inspirational books, watching an occasional Hallmark movie and travelling to Colorado to visit her son Benny.